


Anger

by 18lzytwner



Series: Law & Order SVU Third Series [2]
Category: Law & Order: SVU
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-02
Updated: 2017-06-30
Packaged: 2019-07-07 23:09:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 22
Words: 19,134
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15918144
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/18lzytwner/pseuds/18lzytwner
Summary: SVU is on the trail of an escaped suspect from another jurisdiction. Can they catch him before someone else gets hurt? How far have Olivia and Elliot taken their relationship and will their cover be blown?





	1. Chapter 1

Six months passed since Robbie Alvarez's conviction and the fall was beginning to reach its midway point. Olivia stood outside the precinct breathing in deeply the smell of the city in October. Halloween was two weeks away and she wondered if the streak of craziness they'd been dealing with would be over soon.

The beginning of the month had led to a surge in assaults reported which was odd considering that usually after the first few weeks of the fall school season up until Halloween things were pretty quiet. They had spent the first two weeks of the month working a lot of overtime and closed about ten cases which had made Casey half-joke, half-seriously tell them that she liked them and all but she needed a break.

"Whatcha doing out here baby girl? That wind is brutal," Fin walked up to her as he'd just left his car. Despite being around lots of tall buildings the wind could get ugly down at ground level at this time of year.

"Getting some fresh air. Munch burned the coffee and I can't take the smell today considering he did it just a few days ago," she explained.

"We need a new coffee machine," Fin shook his head.

"Captain said he requisitioned one about two years ago…" she chuckled. Fin rolled his eyes and the two of them headed inside.

"Sweet Jesus. You guys having a bad coffee day?" A shorter, African American woman asked Desk Sergeant Lopez. The woman was dressed in a blue pant suit and everything looked like it was in place despite the wind outside. In her hand was a black leather briefcase.

"The Sergeant upstairs brought the coffee maker he wrecked down to the dumpster about ten minutes ago," the Desk Sergeant shook her head.

"I'm here to see Captain Cragen. He should be expecting me," the woman smiled.

"Let me call up," Lopez picked up the phone but stopped when he saw Fin and Olivia walk through the door.

"Fin! Olivia!" They walked over and gave Lopez a questioning look but that look disappeared from Fin's face when he saw who was at the desk.

"Angela! What brings you here?" He smiled and pulled her in for a hug.

"You know, always wanted to travel to the big city," she joked.

"Angela?" Olivia didn't know who this woman was but she seemed friendly.

"Detective Olivia Benson I'd like you to meet Detective Angela Jones, one of Buffalo's finest," Fin made the introductions.

"Oh nice to meet you but what brings you all the way downstate?" Olivia shook her hand.

"A case believe it or not. My perp didn't heads for the border like we all thought he would," Angela explained, referring to the Canadian border which was only minutes away from Buffalo's downtown.

"That bad huh?" Fin asked as the three of them started to head for the elevators.

"It's not good," Angela's happy mood suddenly shifted and Olivia wondered what had happened.

"We'll do all we can to help," she promised.

"I appreciate that," the detective smiled. They rode up the elevators and then walked out onto their floor. Once inside the bullpen, Munch greeted the detective much like Fin had and then showed her to the Captain office, informing her that it was his privilege.

"Where'd you meet her?" Olivia asked from her desk once the Captain's door had closed and Angela was out of earshot.

"You remember when we were chasing that rapist who liked to wheeny wag in his spare time and we thought he'd fled the jurisdiction a few years back? He had family up in Buffalo and Angela was our local liaison," Fin explained. He and Munch had made the trip since Olivia and Elliot had court.

"Oh that's Angela," Olivia nodded, remembering now.

"So what's going on?" Elliot asked. He'd been sifting through his e-mails and now looked over at Fin.

"Some sort of case she's working," the detective shrugged. Elliot nodded and gave Olivia a quick glance before refocusing on his e-mails.

"Everyone listen up!" Cragen announced as he left his office with Angela right behind him. That made everyone, including the detectives, turn around and look at him.

"Detective Jones came here from BPD and she believes her perp is here in the city. The guy is wanted on multiple rapes and for shooting her partner. I want all hands on deck!" the Captain said.

"This guy shot Manny?" Munch asked.

"How bad is it?" Fin wanted to know.

"It's bad but let me start from the beginning," Angela said. They all nodded and she opened the briefcase, pulled out a picture, and Munch taped it to the board.

"That is Anatoli Volkov. He has beaten and raped three women, we believe he also is tied to a murder of a pro but we can't prove it yet," she started.

"MO?" Elliot asked.

"It's a progression. Our first victim was Natalie McGraw. She was a pro that came to us claiming that one of her dates had gotten rough with her. When Manny and I pressed her, we found out that he'd broken her arm and then taken what he wanted. She gave us access to her medical records and spoke to the nurses who treated her. They could tell she'd been sexually assaulted but since she initially refused to press charges, a rape kit wasn't done. She worked with our sketch artist and that's how we came up with Anatoli.

"The next victim was his girlfriend, Sophie Vasilyev. She was in much worse shape. Broken arm, broken ribs, she was covered in bruises, and her mother found her tied to her bed. Sophie didn't want to finger Anatoli and this is when we found out he had connections to Brighton Beach," Angela took a moment to keep her emotions in check.

"So the rapes aren't part of his connections but given that he knows people…" Olivia left that hanging out there.

"Sophie isn't really willing to testify is she?" Elliot asked.

"We've got her and her mother in protective custody. The final victim, Sarah Flapica, was one of chance. She was working the night shift at a gas station when Anatoli pulled up for gas. We think he was on his way out of town when something happened to piss him off. Sarah was found hours later on the floor behind the counter, slowly bleeding to death. We recovered DNA and matched it to the sample from Sophie. Sarah is still in a medically induced coma.

"My partner, Manny Sandoval, was shot when he and I attempted to arrest him. Manny is still in the hospital," Angela swallowed hard.

"What happened?" Fin pressed, sensing that there had to be more.

"The bastard used armor-piercing bullets. They went right through Manny's vest and the doctor's don't think he'll ever walk again," she told them, by now barely keeping it together. Olivia could understand her pain.

"We're going to get this bastard," Fin said.


	2. Chapter 2

Elliot and Olivia were heading to Brighton Beach to search around a restaurant known for their borscht. While the food is not exclusive to Russian cuisine, it is certainly a place that draws Russians to it, along with Ukrainians, Romanians, and Poles. So along for the food it was also known as a neutral place. Of course, Munch attributed that to the big Russian momma who ran the restaurant and kept a Louisville slugger and a shotgun behind the bar.

"Armor-piercing bullets…" Olivia just let the statement hang there as they drove. Elliot took one hand off the wheel and put the other one on top of her hand.

"This could get ugly but we can only do what we can do," he said.

"I know but just when you figured things couldn't get uglier out on the streets we have a guy with anger management issues who carries a gun with armor-piercing bullets. Obviously something his picked up after the rapes because if he had it before, all the victims would be dead," Olivia pointed out.

"Agreed. Must have picked it up after he beat up the gas station clerk," Elliot nodded, keeping his eyes focused on the road.

"So he has connections, they help him get out of town. He must have driven down here because there is no way he's getting on a bus, train, or plane with a gun," she said.

"Could have picked up another car or used his own. No one has found the car he usually drives," he commented.

"He'd have to have some friends to help. I mean the Russians wouldn't want the heat, especially since he shot a cop," Olivia frowned.

"Yeah that's why this seems weird. Still they have the Canadian border covered and the family so friends are the next step," Elliot agreed that it would seem odd for the Russians to help someone that would attract attention to their less than legal operations. Of course if he was part of their ever expanding criminal works, that changes things.

The two partners soon arrived at the restaurant and walked in to find that lunch was in full swing. The hostess approached them and they asked to see the owner, without flashing their badges. She looked them over but then walked them through the restaurant to the back office and then quickly ran back to her post.

"Mrs. Popov, I'm Detective Stabler and this is Detective Benson. We're wondering if you've heard anything regarding an Anatoli Volkov. He's not from around here," the detective introduced themselves, flashing their badges.

"You think I didn't know you were cops? Are you expecting me to be a snitch?" The older woman asked in a heavy Russian accent. Olivia admitted that Munch was right. The woman was sturdy and had a look on her face that basically said "don't mess with me".

"He's a rapist, attempted murderer, and he possibly paralyzed a police detective upstate. We figure you don't want him in your community," Benson pointed out.

"We got all kinds in this community," Popov gave them a look.

"Not like this guy," Elliot showed her the pictures of Sophie.

"She's Russian and he treated her like that. You think he's going to stop?" Olivia gave her, her own Badass Benson glare. Popov frowned and then pulled out a piece of paper before scribbling down an address.

"Try here. Most newcomers in town end up there, especially if their connected. It's basically a brothel. Maybe you get Vice cops to run a raid and maybe you get lucky. You didn't hear it from me," the woman said.

"We were never here," Elliot winked and they headed back out to the car.

"Let's get a call in and some backup," Olivia said and Elliot smiled and nodded.


	3. Chapter 3

"So you're saying that Momma Popov gave you the brothel? That woman never ceases to amaze," Detective Tao chuckled.

"You call her Momma Popov?" Elliot asked.

"Not to her face," he chuckled again. They had headed over to Vice and Munch and Fin met them there. Captain Cragen had made sure that Angela would be away from the case. Anything she touched would be up to be questioned by the defense in the event of a trial.

"So have you heard anything about Anatoli Volkov?" Fin wanted to know.

"Did some digging with Interpol after you called. They say that our Mr. Volkov has quite the record. It seems that he's not unfamiliar with the charge of murder," Tao pulled up the file on the computer.

"He got two years in the gulag for murder?" Munch looked incredulously at the screen.

"Seems like he has pull," Tao agreed.

"Like Mafia pull?" Olivia raised an eyebrow.

"Makes Brighton Beach sound like a holiday," the Vice detective heaved a sigh.

"So you think he'd visit this establishment?" Elliot wondered.

"Oh he would. The Mafia runs it and since he obviously has pull in the old country, he'd be offered girls for free," Tao told them.

"It makes raiding the place tricky, though," Fin said.

"It does but that doesn't mean a little surveillance is unwarranted. I sent a team over to keep an eye on things until we talked," he said.

"So we're not going in," Olivia frowned.

"We'd be throwing away three ops. One of which is undercover. I've got word out to my undercover to keep an eye out for Volkov. He surfaces away from the brothel, we'll nail him," Tao nodded.

"He almost killed a cop and he did kill one woman, beat the crap out of two women. He needs to be locked up," Elliot clenched his fists.

"No arguments but we have to look at the bigger picture. You want to take down the Mafia, or at least a part of it, you need the info we've been accumulating," the Asian detective pointed out.

"You're doing what you have to. We get it. We know the cops from Buffalo and we're just frustrated," Munch said.

"I totally get it. Are there any other angles that I can help with?" Tao asked.

"Maybe you can. Why would these guys take on Volkov? He's a giant liability if he gets caught," Olivia wanted to know.

"Well the structure of the Russian Mafia, or Bratva as they are sometimes called, is not like the Cosa Nostra carefully structured families. They're more like networks between groups of people from different areas. Volkov could be a Brigadier or Avtoritet, basically a captain. If this is the case, he's basically two steps down from the Boss or Pakhan. This could give him access to a lot of inner workings of this branch of the Mafia. He would be important and he probably had something on the people back home which helped him only serve two years in the gulag," Tao explained.

"Ok so he would have juice and maybe the Boss would have the pull to help him get out of the gulag," Fin nodded.

"Exactly. So that's why Volkov would run to where he could get help. Any chance that they'd handle this issue internally?" Munch wondered.

"Always a chance of that. There are guys in between the Boss and his captains that are supposed to keep the captains in line and collect the money and keep the power structure in check. We believe that the guy who runs the brothel is not actually one of the money collecting guys but is related to one – a Boris Mikhailov," Tao continued.

"Boris Mikhailov? The guy who they tried to pin that bomb on two years ago?" Elliot asked.

"The very same. Somehow Boris skated on the car bomb murder of a captain and his second in command. My guess is that the Pakhan had a hand in that. We have yet to discover who he is though," the vice detective frowned.

"Well this makes life all sorts of fun," Olivia heaved a sigh.

"Oh indeed. You guys head back to your precinct and I'll keep you in the loop. Meantime, if you want to flush Volkov out, why not have your Captain hold a press conference? That should get the gears moving," Tao winked.

"Consider it done," Fin said. The four then thanked the detective and headed back to their cars. Once alone, Olivia turned to Elliot as he moved the car into traffic.

"Do we need to make sure the kids are safe?" She asked.

"You think they'll become targets?" He wondered.

"This guy gets two years for murder in Russia. If his friends turn on him, he'll be like an animal in a cage, cornered and dangerous," Olivia shook her head.

"We'll hit that bridge when and if we get there," Elliot said, a slight smile on his face.

"You know I love them like they're my own. I don't want to see anything happen to them," she turned to him.

"I know you do and I love you for it," the word tumbled out like it was part of the conversation but it was something that Olivia couldn't help but smile at. They'd both managed to say the word that every couple wished for in a partner and despite the circumstances, they knew it only made what they had stronger.


	4. Chapter 4

Two days would pass after the Captain announced to the local news that they were in search of a fugitive who had shot a cop upstate. The reward had brought out the crazies and they were eyeball deep in calls supposedly giving them clues. Needless to say the days were long and there were no legit leads. Vice had been quiet as well which bothered them all, especially Angela.

"How's she holding up?" Elliot asked Fin.

"She isn't. Last night she got a call from her Captain. If we can't arrest this guy, in the next couple of days, he needs her back. They're shorthanded and Manny is asking for her. The poor guy has family but they're out in California and having a tough time coming up with the funds to make the trip," he explained.

"Geez. Anything we can do?" Elliot wondered.

"Her Captain says that the community is banding together and trying to raise money for the family to pay for the trip and whatever the healthcare doesn't cover," Fin smiled a little bit but Elliot could tell that there was something else bugging his fellow detective.

"Angela is blaming herself and she wants this guy bad. I'm just afraid that her anger isn't making her think straight. She might do something stupid," Fin admitted.

"Especially since we know he is in fact here and we know where he's hiding," Elliot clenched his fist.

"The Captain is contacting Vice again. So hopefully we'll be able to make a move soon," his coworker nodded. That's when Angela came down the stairs from the couch in the lounge, where she'd been hiding. Elliot had to admit that she looked like hell, not like the day she first walked into the precinct.

"What happened?" Munch asked.

"Sarah Flapica passed away ten minutes ago," Angela's shoulders slumped. Elliot heaved a sigh and frowned.

"I'm sorry," Fin said to her.

"We have to catch this guy," she told him.

"We will," he tried to reassure her.

"That might be more difficult than we originally thought," Captain Cragen exited his office and headed out to them.

"Where's Benson?" He asked now realizing that his female detective was not there.

"Doctor's appointment," Elliot filled in. Cragen nodded and then continued,

"Vice says that chatter has picked up and the group is arguing amongst themselves. Seems they aren't so enamored of the heat the press conference put on them."

"Isn't that a little odd? I mean these guys, more often than not, could care less," Elliot was confused.

"Well from what it sounds like, they liked things much better before another Captain wandered into town. Volkov isn't their Captain; he's a friend of their leader, Vladislav Mikhailov. He's Boris's little brother," Cragen explained.

"Trouble in Little Russia then," Munch smirked as Fin went to answer his desk phone.

"So it would seem but until they become hostile to one another, we're never going to be able to bust in there and get Volkov," Cragen heaved a sigh.

"Maybe we don't have to…" Elliot trailed off.

"What are you thinking?" Munch gave him a look.

"Turn up the heat. Why don't we put it out there that Angela's partner has died and that the NYPD is increasing our search for the suspect? If life gets to be too complicated and business gets harder to conduct, they'll kick Volkov out on his ass because life will ten go back to normal," he said.

"I like your thinking but I'll have to run it by BPD and Vice first," Cragen said.

"It can't hurt," Munch shrugged.

"That was patrol at the six-zero. They found Volkov's car or what's left of it," Fin told them.

"What's left of it?" Elliot raised an eyebrow.

"It was torched and left down at the docks," Fin explained.

"There goes our evidence," Munch shook his head.

"Get down there and check it out. Elliot, pick up Olivia, and catch up with Munch and Fin," Cragen ordered. They quickly grabbed their coats and got on the move.


	5. Chapter 5

Olivia had been silent the entire ride over to the crime scene and her partner had done all the talking. Her doctor's appointment was just supposed to be a standard yearly physical but something told Elliot that things hadn't gone according to plan. He pulled up to the scene and they exited the car.

"There you guys are. Seems the six-zero left out the part about a dead body in the trunk," Munch told them as they approached.

"Dead body?" Olivia raised an eyebrow.

"The car was still too hot to touch when they got here and the firefighters had to make sure it was out before they could pop the trunk," Fin gave them a little more information.

"So what do we have? Is it Volkov?" Elliot asked.

"Melinda is working on it now," Munch said pointing to the medical examiner, whose head was buried in the open trunk of the car.

"It's not Volkov," she announced.

"How can you tell?" Olivia's face scrunched up at the skeletal remains. The medical examiner pulled herself out from underneath the hood of the trunk, and stood up straight.

"First, the pelvis is larger and broader than a man's would be. I'll of course be able to give you more when I see if there is marrow left for DNA testing," Melinda said.

"Ok so working on the assumption there is a she in the trunk, how'd she end up in Volkov's trunk?" Fin wanted to know.

"The next question is who she is," Elliot heaved a sigh.

"Well it's time to make another call to Vice. This could be one of the girls working in the brothel," Munch said.

"I'm sick of these phone calls. Time to get in someone's face," Olivia frowned.

"Agreed. Time to go talk to them in person," Elliot nodded.

"You guys go and we'll wrap things up here," the Sergeant told them. Quickly, Elliot and Olivia headed back to their car, unaware that off in the distance someone was watching.

Half way to Vice, Elliot stopped at a red light. He looked over at his partner. Olivia was looking out the window and fiddling with her fingers. Not normal behavior for her at all.

"Hey you ok? What happened at the doctors?" He asked as the light turned green and he put his foot on the gas.

"Can we talk about it later? We have to nail this guy before anyone else dies," she said.

"Sure we can talk about it later. I'm just worried about you," Elliot admitted.

"I'm sorry it's just a lot going on and I have no idea how…" she didn't get a chance to finish her sentence as car ran the red light on the cross street and slammed into their unmarked squad car on the driver's side. The next moments were a blur as metal crunched and tires squealed. Olivia's head snapped to the right and slammed into the window, damaging the glass and her head. Elliot was pushed toward Olivia and then pushed back into the door as it scrunched in.

It would only be later as sirens wailed and emergency personnel swarmed the area, thanks to a Good Samaritan's nine-one-one call, that Elliot would realize something was terribly wrong. He had pain everywhere and his brain was foggy. The FDNY used the Jaws of Life to pry him from the car; the impact had inextricably linked the two damaged vehicles. That's when Elliot's brain cleared enough to ask a question,

"Where's Liv?"

"Who's Liv?" The firefighter gave him a confused look as they wheeled him toward the awaiting ambulance on a

"My partner… She was…" he looked at the passenger seat and realized she wasn't there. The firefighter followed his gaze and was about to chalk it up to head trauma when Munch and Fin came rushing in asking for information on the female detective and her partner.

"We've got a problem," the fire chief said.

"Why?" Fin asked.

"There was only one person in the car when we got here," he said.


	6. Chapter 6

Hours later, Elliot awoke to find his kids had filled his hospital room. They were happy to see him awake and they quickly told him so. Maureen rushed out to get the nurse and the room fell silent again.

"Why is there a policeman outside your door?" Lizzie asked.

"He's here to keep an eye on me," Elliot said, not wanting to worry her but also wanting to know why himself. He also desperately wanted to know what had happened to Olivia. However, he discovered that taking a deep breath was almost impossible as pain shot through him, and that took over his mind for a few minutes. In his fog, that's when he saw his leg was propped up in the air, covered in a large cast up to his mid-thigh.

"The nurse is coming to check on you and she said she'd explain everything the doctors needed to do," Maureen told them upon reentering the room.

"You guys haven't seen Uncle Munch or Fin have you?" He wondered, keeping his breathing as shallow as he could.

"I spoke to your Captain when he called the house but he just told us a patrol car was coming to get us because there had been an accident," Maureen shrugged. Elliot frowned slightly but he didn't get a chance to ask anything more as the nurse came into the room.

"Detective Stabler, glad to see you awake," she smiled. The nametag on her shirt said "Sally".

"Good to be awake," he said.

"You have cuts, scrapes, a broken leg, and a few broken ribs. All in all, pretty lucky given the accident," Sally told him.

"Explains why my chest hurts," Elliot frowned.

"Yes your ribs will take quite a while to heal. How much pain are you in?" She wanted to know.

"There aren't words," he admitted.

"Ok, well I will up your pain medication dose a little. Now I need to examine you so how would the kids like to head down to the cafeteria and get some ice cream?" Sally asked.

"Ice cream?" Lizzie perked up.

"Yup. If you go to the desk, Nurse Bridget will take you down to the cafeteria," the nurse smiled. Lizzie and Dickie headed out the room and Kathleen moved with them keeping an eye on her youngest siblings. Maureen stood there however.

"I'm not a child," she said, knowing that the ice cream was just a ruse.

"We know. We just figured that your Dad would want some privacy for this," Sally admitted. Maureen nodded and then left the room.

"Tough crowd," Sally smirked.

"They are but we both know you didn't need them out of the room to check over my injuries," Elliot gave her a look.

"No. I just figured I couldn't give you the message your Captain wanted with them here either," she admitted.

"What is going on?" He pressed.

"I don't know but he gave me this letter," Sally pulled an envelope out of her scrub pocket and handed it to him, "I'll call in the officer," she told him before heading out of the room. Elliot ripped open the envelope and read it.

_Elliot,_

_Car that hit you and Liv is being processed. Driver took a blow from the airbag and_

_is in custody. Passenger and Liv are missing. The entire NYPD is out looking for them. The officer is there for your protection. We believe the Bratva are behind this. Promise to keep you posted._

_Cragen_

Elliot crumpled the paper as the officer entered the room. He looked at the young African American man and apparently his look told the officer all he needed to know.

"I'm Officer Hill. Captain Cragen sent me down here. Briscoe, Tutuola, and Munch are working with Vice to find your partner. They think the Bratva took her hostage in order to find out what the police know," he explained.

"I have to be out there," Elliot made a move to get out of the bed and realized it was a bad idea.

"Not with that broken leg and those ribs. We've got everyone on it," Hill said. Elliot frowned but relented, knowing that he was in no condition, but that didn't make him feel any better.

"What do you remember about the accident?" Hill wanted to know.

"We were almost to Vice's precinct and then all of a sudden I woke up to find the firefighters cutting me out of the car and Liv was gone," the detective was frustrated.

"Ok, I'm going to let the Captain know you're awake. Hopefully, he has an update," the officer smiled slightly and walked out of the room. Elliot clenched his fist, hoping the Liv was ok, and wishing he was out looking for her.

Olivia woke up with pain in her neck. She immediately recognized her neck stiffening and worried that whatever had happened had managed to reaggravate her injury that she'd suffered the year before. It wouldn't ordinarily affect her unless she'd really had whiplash or took a ride on a rollercoaster. Then her mind went to something else as she noticed she wasn't alone and she was tied to a chair.

"I apologize for the way we had to get your attention," said a man with a thick Russian accent. He was seated across from her and there were two burly looking men behind him near the room exit.

"You could have just called," Olivia said, the fog was slowly clearing and she was now realizing her head was spinning. She closed her eyes tightly as she felt her breakfast coming up.

"What do you know about the Bratva?" The man asked, seemingly not noticing her troubles. Olivia swallowed hard before answering,

"Is that a kind of sausage?"

"I'm losing my patience Detective Benson. Answer my question," he said.

"I'm going to be sick," she said, feeling the nausea push harder – what was in her stomach wanted out. The man got up and walked over to her. He didn't get too close but placed a metal trash can near her. She emptied the contents of her stomach into it, violently. She could hear them speaking in their native tongue but she was having trouble focusing. The nausea only dulled slightly and she figured that she needed a doctor.

"We are not done Detective," the man said before leaving the room and leaving Olivia to wallow in her weakened condition.


	7. Chapter 7

"What was so interesting that we had to come down here Morales?" Fin asked as he and Kenny Briscoe walked through the doors of Ruben's office down at TARU.

"The phone we found in the car that hit Liv and Elliot. It was encrypted and then it was in Russian," the tech explained.

"Good grief," Briscoe shook his head.

"You could have told us that over the phone," Fin gave him a look.

"This next part I figured you'd want to see," Morales pulled up the phone's photos. The screen filled up with pictures of Olivia – at her apartment, Elliot picking her up from her doctor's appointment, and then later at the crime scene.

"They were watching her," Kenny said.

"And not just yesterday," Ruben told them pulling up more photos of the female detective - most of them with Elliot.

"How long has this been going on?" Fin wanted to know.

"The photos are dated back to when they visited Mrs. Popov," the tech said.

"We have to tell the Captain. This guy is after Liv and they've got a rapist and murderer in their midst," Briscoe whipped out his cell phone and quickly walked away to place a call to the Captain while Ruben grabbed Fin before he turned to go.

"Some of these are a little more…" he kept his voice down and pulled one up of Olivia and Elliot kissing while outside her apartment.

"Shit," Fin cursed under his breath.

"I won't tell anyone if you don't but I don't want to enter them as evidence either," Ruben admitted.

"Besides you and me, who saw them?" Fin wanted to know.

"No one," Morales nodded.

"Just say some of the files were damaged in the decryption process and pitch any that show anything like this. It's not material to the case and once this hits the public, there won't be any stopping it," the detective said.

"Aren't we destroying evidence?" Ruben asked.

"No we're saving two cops careers," Fin told him. Then he turned and met up with Briscoe who told him that the Captain wanted them to head to the evidence garage to talk to the techs about the cars from the accident.

"She has a concussion and there is something wrong with her neck," the man who was examining Olivia said in English but with a slight Russian accent. He was cleaning the cut on her forehead and removing the car window glass from it.

"We need her to talk," the man with the thick accent told him.

"She can but she might not be giving you useful information. Her brains are all scrambled," the other man said. Thick accent man glared at him but left, leaving the two alone.

"I am so sorry Detective," the man treating her said.

"Who are you?" Olivia asked.

"You can just call me Doctor. The less you know the better, for your own safety," he told her. She could tell he was concerned which she found a little surprising given her treatment so far.

"What do they want?" Olivia pressed.

"I don't know. I'm just the medical help. Though I will warn you, if you do not give them what they want, you could end up in a body bag," he admitted.

"Isn't that the plan all along anyway?" She wondered. The Doctor frowned, knowing she was probably right.

"Let us hope that the NYPD is smarter than Gregor thinks they are," he said. Olivia swallowed hard and hoped he was right. She had no idea what condition Elliot was in and she hoped that with the team he would find her soon.

Elliot sat in bed, alone, going stir crazy. Kathy had come to pick up the kids so that they could get their homework done. His ex-wife had expressed her concern and for a few moments they were almost like they had been.

Now the TV held no interest and there had been no word from the Captain. Suddenly a phone rang and instinctively Elliot went from his pocket. Of course his hospital gown didn't have pockets. The phone continued to ring and that's when he realized it was in the bag of his personal items, across the room in a chair. Quickly, he pressed the nurse call button and waited as the call went to voicemail.

"What do you need Detective Stabler?" Nurse Sally asked from the door a few minutes later.

"My phone was ringing. It could have been my Captain," he said pointing to the bag in the chair.

"Oh of course," Sally reached into the bag and a confused look crossed her face.

"You have two phones?" She asked.

"What?" Now Elliot was confused. The nurse quickly brought him both phones and that's when he realized one of the phones was Olivia's.

"Why do I have her phone?" The thought just tumbled out of his mouth.

"Maybe the EMTs thought it was yours," Sally shrugged. She asked him if he needed anything else and he told her that he was good. He then turned his attention to both phones. Quickly looking at his, he discovered that it wasn't the one that had rung. He moved to his partner's phone and saw that Olivia's had a message on it. Not knowing her password, he went to her missed calls and the person who had called was labelled "Doctor".


	8. Chapter 8

"Good evening, Doctor Geberit's answering service," a woman's cheerful voice answered the call that Elliot had placed. He hadn't been able to call back right away as his doctor walked in and had questioned whether or not Elliot had someone they could discharge him to. Given his broken ribs and leg, he would need help doing just about everything, including going to the bathroom. Elliot told him that at the moment, he did not, and the doctor recommended that he either be released to a rehab facility or he stay in the hospital, at which point, Elliot said to the doctor that he better take it up with his Captain. The Doctor said that he would and left. Unfortunately, by then, thirty minutes had passed.

"Hello I need to speak to a nurse or the doctor immediately," he said.

"The office is closed for the night. If this is an emergency then I would suggest heading to the hospital," she told him.

"I'm Detective Elliot Stabler from the NYPD. My partner, Detective Olivia Benson, goes to Doctor Geberit. We were in an accident and she's been kidnapped and I need to know if the voicemail is something that can't wait," he explained.

"I need verification that you are who you say you are before I page the doctor," the woman said.

"I'm at Bellevue," he told her and she promised to verify and get back to him. He waited for what seemed an eternity, but it was actually only a couple of minutes, until Nurse Sally walked back into the room.

"I've got a Doctor Geberit on the line at the nurses' desk. She's looking for you?" Sally raised an eyebrow.

"She's my partner's doctor. Can you pass the call in here?" Elliot asked.

"You've got it," Sally nodded and quickly headed back out to the desk. Soon the hospital room phone rang and Elliot answered it.

"Stabler,"

"Detective, this is Doctor Geberit. I understand you're calling regarding Olivia Benson?" The doctor asked.

"Yes. Your office left a voicemail on her phone. However, she's been kidnapped and I need to know if we're dealing with something that's serious," he explained again.

"Sorry for the run around but we have to make sure you are who you say you are. As for Olivia, we're running some tests to determine her overall health. She's been complaining about headaches and nausea. We're not sure if that has to do with her neck injury or if there is something else going on. In the voicemail, I was telling her that I've scheduled an appointment with Doctor Beresford at Bellevue. I also took the standard blood and urine samples to check things like cholesterol, thyroid, and pregnancy," Geberit clarified.

"Thank you doctor. I really appreciate it," Elliot said.

"I hope you find her soon," the doctor told him.

"Me too," he admitted before hanging up. Why hadn't Olivia told him she was having headaches? Where would the nausea come from? It was possible that she was pregnant as the two of them could barely keep their hands off of each other at night after their shift but they'd been careful. He quickly grabbed his cell phone and called Captain Cragen. He needed to get an update.

"This is all my fault," Angela said. She was sitting next to Fin's desk at the precinct.

"No it isn't," Munch told her. He couldn't tear his eyes away from the board. They had everything the forensics and TARU had collected posted up there and there had to be an answer in the reports somewhere.

"He's right. This guy has to be stopped. You needed to tell us," Fin turned his attention from the board to her.

"I've got something!" Detective Tao rushed into the bullpen and everyone turned to look at him.

"We have a list of Boris Mikhailov's holdings right?" He asked Fin.

"Yeah, why?" The detective was confused. They'd been over that list a hundred times. None of the buildings were easy to check out and most of them had innocent civilians in them, who could get caught in the crossfire should a shootout or hostage situation occur.

"Look at this list from last year," Tao handed Munch the list and the older detective quickly glanced over it.

"There's a building that's missing but…" Munch didn't get a chance to finish.

"That building was sold to another confirmed member of the Bratva and as far as we know, it's a warehouse that they keep mostly for writing off on their taxes," Tao pointed out as he handed Munch another list from his hand.

"Who is Gregor Petrovich?" Fin asked looking over Munch's shoulder.

"Boris's right hand man," Tao said.

"We need to scope the place out. They could be hiding Liv there," Fin rushed into the Captain's office to tell him what was going on.

"Let's get a move on," Cragen said, jumping out of his seat.


	9. Chapter 9

"There doesn't appear to be anyone in there," Munch said into the radio from his position inside the panel van across the street. The attached parking lot was empty and there was no movement that he could see from the exterior. Fin had climbed onto the roof of the building next door which was slightly shorter than the two story warehouse and he was trying to see if he could see movement inside or any smoke leaving the rooftop from flues or chimneys.

"I've got smoke exiting the far rear corner of the building and I've got movement on the top floor," Fin said.

"Well then someone  _is_  in there. Can we confirm Liv is in there?" Cragen asked. He had casually walked by the building and made it look like he was shopping at the store next to the warehouse.

"No way to tell but everyone I can see moving around is too tall or too stocky to be Liv," Fin admitted.

"Can we get aerial to do a thermal scan of the building?" Munch wanted to know.

"They're already on their way. ETA – five minutes," Detective Tao told the elder detective. The Vice Detective was inside the van with Munch, manning the radio communication between them and the rest of the NYPD.

"You hear that?" Fin suddenly asked.

"Hear what?" Munch was confused. That's when Cragen responded.

"Gunfire! Get SWAT here now!" He moved from his spot and headed toward the building. Tao radioed the SWAT team that had been stationed on the next block for cover. Their large vehicle pulled up to the building and quickly they split into teams. One headed for the back of the building and the other joined Captain Cragen at the front. Using a battering ram, they busted open the door and charged inside. No one was there and they kept moving forward until they reached a portion of the large warehouse area where offices would have been. Some men headed up the stairs that were located there and the rest stayed with the Captain. Suddenly, they heard shouts of "NYPD! DROP YOUR WEAPONS!" followed by gunfire. The SWAT team pushed Cragen behind them and charged through the office door in front of them. There was nothing but a corridor and so they pushed through the next one at the end of the hallway. There they found the men who had gone in through the back. One officer was down and two Bratva men lay on the ground, obviously dead, from wounds they sustained. A third man was gasping for breath and a fourth was being handcuffed.

"Where is Detective Benson?" Cragen demanded from the man who was being handcuffed. He just smirked. One of the SWAT team members, by the name of Anderson, asked the man in Russian and he got a response but by the look on the officer's face, it wasn't a good one.

"What did he say?" Cragen asked.

"That I could do things that weren't physically possible to myself," the officer frowned. At that point, Fin, who had joined the team at the back of the building, lost his cool. He stalked over to the man and grabbed him by his shirt.

"If anything happens to her, you'll be the one I take it out on," Fin gave him a look. The man scoffed and then spoke in his native tongue.

"He says that you're not scarier than his Bratva boss and he wants a lawyer," Anderson clarified.

"Well I don't speak Russian. Maybe his face needs a new tune up," Fin was about ready to punch the guy in front of all the other officers. Just then Anderson spoke up, in Russian, to the man in the cuffs. He made a point of showing him his dead comrades and the injured NYPD officer. The man didn't look rattled but he said something that Anderson could understand and the young officer turned to Fin.

"He says that no one can help her now. Gregor took her away and the only place he can figure they would go would be to wherever the Pakhan is," Anderson explained.

"Who is the Pakhan? We know that Boris and Vlad aren't and that Anatoli isn't," Cragen did not like where this was heading. That's when the radio crackled to life from the team upstairs.

"We've got a body!" The Pakhan was temporarily forgotten as Cragen rushed back to the stairs. He saw Munch and Tao entering the building but did not wait for them.

"Who is it?" He asked as he approached the team. He worried that he wouldn't like the answer and that the man they had downstairs was lying to them.

"It's not Detective Benson unless she suddenly turned into a guy," one of the men said. Cragen looked down as he approached and realized that the man had a bullet through the middle of his forehead.

"Does he have some ID?" The Captain wanted to know.

"Andrei Fedorov and by the looks of it, he must have had medical training," another officer pointed out the medical bag found near the body. The Captain heard footsteps and turned to see Munch and Tao approaching him. The Asian detective went over to the body and shook his head.

"Andrei what did you get yourself into?" He asked the dead body.

"He Bratva?" Cragen wanted to know.

"Not officially. He'd treat the brothel girls if they needed it. My guess is that he owned the Bratva money and they used his services instead of getting someone who would ask too many questions," Tao explained.

"Then why was he here and why kill him?" Munch asked.

"Could have something to do with the blood on this chair," an officer spoke up from some distance away. They all turned to look in his direction. It was obvious that someone had been held there against their will. Bloody zip ties lay on the floor around the chair legs.

"I want CSU to swab that immediately. It could be our only lead on whether Detective Benson was ever here," Cragen ordered.

"They probably brought Andrei here to help Olivia after the accident," Munch said.

"Why bother? Once they get what they need out of her, she's a liability. My guess is that Andrei spoke out of turn or the Pakhan found out that shady stuff was going on under his nose," Tao told them.

"Then we need to find the Pakhan and fast. Liv is running out of time," Cragen said. At the moment, they had no idea just how little time remained. Olivia's captors had brought her to see the Pakhan and with him was the man they were currently seeking for rape and murder, Anatoli Volkov.


	10. Chapter 10

"Detective Benson, I must apologize for your treatment. My men did not have authorization to do what they did. It would seem that our out of town visitor has been causing trouble," the tall man in front of her said. He looked directly at a man that she knew to be Anatoli Volkov. They had been moved from the drafty warehouse to another building, but she had been blindfolded and didn't know exactly where they were. Now as they sat in a plush office, she could smell food and figured that they were above a Russian restaurant. The room was quite nice despite the fact that she knew what happened in there. The walls were red and the carpet was a deep burgundy. The furniture was all stained a dark brown and the leather sofa matched the color. There was also a large fish tank, in the corner, which house exotic fish.

"He's been causing trouble upstate too. I know that the Buffalo cops would like a word with him," Olivia admitted. They had not strapped her to the seat she now sat in but Gregor stood behind her and she knew that he had a Glock in his shoulder holster.

"Oh I am sure that they would but we aren't here about that now are we?" He asked from his seat across the large hardwood desk, something that looked like it might have come from Mother Russia herself. The man had brown hair, with a full beard, and brown eyes, and he spoke as though he was a gentle man despite the fact that she knew different.

"Not sure why I'm here to be honest. Especially since I don't know who I am talking to," she said.

"Of course, how rude of me. I am Ivan, Pakhan of the Bratva. You are here because my associates seem to think you know about their less than legal activities," he told her.

"Well it was kind of hard to miss the flaming car with the dead woman in it," Olivia confessed.

"Yes I would imagine it would be," Ivan frowned and once again looked at Anatoli. It was the detective's guess that Ivan was liking his comrade less and less.

"I can't tell you any more than that seeing as I got into an accident on my way over here," Olivia said.

"Yes that was unfortunate but I am here to offer you a deal," Ivan said.

"Oh? It wouldn't be to get some of that delicious food from downstairs would it?" She asked.

"That could be arranged but my deal is with information. You see we have some compromising photos of you and your partner," Ivan pulled out a folder from the top drawer of his desk and handed it to her. She flipped it open and quickly found the one where she was kissing Elliot outside her apartment. Olivia swallowed hard and wondered if she could bluff her way out of here.

"While they are a tad compromising, we're off duty, and my Captain is already aware of the situation," she said.

"That might be true but you see we know that your partner had a messy divorce, and I would hate for his kids or God forbid, he, himself have an accident," Ivan's smile belied the words he just spoke. Olivia steeled herself before replying,

"What do you want?"

"Everything you have on our operation. I'm not just talking about Anatoli's fuck up either. I want it all," Ivan told her.

"I don't have access. I'm not Vice and I can't get another police department's files without a mountain of paperwork. Anatoli killed four people, one of whom is a cop," Another lie but they didn't know that. As far as she knew Manny was still alive.

"You have a Buffalo officer in your precinct; surely, she could lend you a copy of their files. After all it would be for Maureen, Kathleen, and the twins. Not to mention Elliot," Ivan knew all of their names and it was at this point, Olivia wondered if they had a mole at the NYPD.

"I get these files for you and you'll leave Elliot and the kids alone?" She asked, almost sure that she couldn't trust anything they said.

"Bratva honor," Ivan nodded.

"How are they just going to believe that I got out of your custody?" At this point, she felt it best to play along.

"Oh, I have a plan for that, trust me," Ivan smirked. He then rose from his chair and it wasn't until he was within inches of her that she realized he had her service weapon. Ivan turned and shot Anatoli, emptying the clip into him.

"One problem solved. Now Gregor, will you please escort the Detective somewhere that she will be found? Oh and make it believable," Ivan smirked and Gregor only chuckled as he grabbed Olivia's arm and hauled her out of her chair.


	11. Chapter 11

Munch and Fin had just pulled up to the precinct along with Captain Cragen when a car came screeching up the street at a high rate of speed. Before the detectives had a chance to wonder what idiot would do that in front of the precinct, they're thoughts were quickly replaced with that same person flinging someone out of the moving vehicle onto the sidewalk. The vehicle peeled away and they raced up to the woman.

"Liv!" Fin scooped her up and looked her over.

"I need a bus!" Munch shouted to other officers that had witnessed the event. Someone radioed it in and sirens could be heard nearby.

"What did they do to you?" Cragen asked. She had bruises, cuts, and scrapes, everywhere and she seemed very unsteady on her feet.

"The paramedics are on their way," Munch said.

"My neck," Olivia managed before she could feel the bile rising in her throat. Fin rushed her over to a garbage can and set her down before she vomited.

"Hang in there baby girl. We'll get you some help," he rubbed her back as she retched again.

"Fin, I'm in big trouble," she managed, holding gingerly onto the trash can, her palms had been scraped as she was tossed from the car.

"What do they want you to do?" Fin asked before she retched again. Tutuola looked at Munch, really concerned that something bad had happened to her.

"Here comes the bus!" The elder detective shouted. Fin scooped her back up and rushed over to the sidewalk.

"What have we got?" The driver asked as his partner pulled out the gurney.

"Detective Olivia Benson; she was thrown from a moving car but she hurt her neck last year. She's been vomiting," Fin explained. Olivia had been reduced to dry heaving as by now she hadn't eaten in a while and there was nothing left to get rid of. Fin set her down onto the gurney and the paramedics got to work putting her in a neck brace and keeping her upright to help with the dry heaving.

"Ok Olivia. We're taking you to the hospital," the driver said.

"Bellevue," she told him.

"Well we're…" he started.

"Her neck doctor is there," Fin filled in as he climbed into the rig with them.

"Get her to the hospital! We've got guys chasing the car that took off," Cragen barked before he and Munch jumped back into the unmarked sedan. They took off after the squad cars that zipped away from the front of the precinct.

"The kids Fin," Olivia said. His eyes went wide, knowing that she could only mean Elliot's kids. The call couldn't go out over the radio but they would need to get someone sitting on the house they shared with Kathy.

"I've got it baby girl. You focus on getting better," he said.

"El?" She asked as the paramedic worked on getting an IV in with fluids.

"He's at Bellevue. Broken leg and some ribs. He'll be glad to see you," Fin smiled slightly. She smiled back but he could tell there was something else on her mind.

"Olivia, are you on any medications? Have you been skipping doses?" The paramedic asked.

"No but I've been getting headaches and nausea and I was in a car accident," she explained.

"Busy week huh?" He smirked.

"Yeah something like that," Olivia said.

"We're almost there," he told her. Fin leaned over and gave her leg a squeeze. He sent the Captain a text –  _Elliot's kids in danger. Liv couldn't give all the details yet. Need a car on Kathy's house._


	12. Chapter 12

As soon as they were through the door the doctors ordered a full body scan to determine what exactly was going on with Olivia. Fin heaved a sigh and looked down at his cell phone and the text he'd received while in the ambulance –  _Driver got away. BOLO out for the car. Sending an undercover to Kathy's house. How's Liv?_

 _Doctors sending for body scans. You need me?_  Fin responded.

 _Stay with Liv. Need to know what she knows._  Cragen told him.

 _You got it._  With that Fin headed for the nurses' desk.

"How long will Detective Benson be?" He asked.

"Depends on what they find and how they need to triage her injuries. Doctor Beresford is with her and of course our best medical minds," the nurse smiled.

"Her partner Elliot Stabler is here. Can I see him while I wait?" Fin wanted to know. The nurse was about to say "yes" when alarms started going off and people started scrambling.

"What's going on?" He asked.

"Nothing good," she admitted before scurrying off toward the sounds. Fin heaved a sigh and moved out of the way into the waiting room. He hated hospitals and he figured that most people were in the same boat. They were good to have when you needed them but being around all the sick people made his skin crawl. The irony of the moment wasn't lost on him. Before SVU he was in narcotics. He dealt with sick people – both physically and mentally – all the time. Maybe the bigger issue was that he disliked needing to be married to a tissue box and cough suppressant.

"Neurosurgery to OR 2 stat!" The announcement came over the PA system and the detective suddenly got a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach. Doctors went running down the hall and he went over to the nurses' desk. There a different nurse was manning the desk and he asked her what was going on and flashed his badge.

"Patient was in the CT machine and started seizing," she said.

"Detective Benson?" He immediately grew concerned.

"I don't know. As soon as I know something, I'll let you know," she promised as the detective's stomach dropped. He immediately sent a text to the Captain explaining the predicament and he said that he wanted to know the moment he knew something.

While this was going on, a white van marked as a plumbing service arrived outside of Kathy's house. Two men got out of the van, wearing blue jumpsuits, and headed for the door. Casually they scoped the area before knocking on the front door.

"Can I help you?" Maureen asked as she answered the door.

"Hi ma'am, we're here to fix your pipes," the man smiled.

"Our pipes…" Maureen gave him a look.

"This is Olivia Benson that I'm speaking with correct? You called this morning about a leaky pipe?" He winked at her and mouthed "NYPD" and "lilac" which was the secret code word Elliot had set up since the divorce. It was something that both he and Kathy agreed on, in case something were to happen to them, especially now that they were separated.

"She's my mom. You're right, there's a bit of a leak in the basement," Maureen let them in and quickly closed the door behind them.

"I'm Detective Bob Dunphy and this is Detective Sam Weber. Detective Benson and your father sent us. Where is your mom?" Dunphy asked.

"She just ran to the store. She'll be right back," Maureen told them.

"Ok, we're going to try to make it look like you actually have a plumbing problem while we install cameras that will point out toward the street ok?" Weber wanted to know.

"What's going on?" The oldest child asked.

"Someone made a threat against you but we're not going to let anything happen to you ok? We've got this covered. There's a team watching the house in the panel van down the street. They're going to help with the camera install," Dunphy explained.

"Ok," Maureen nodded.

"I'm going to run back to the van and get some equipment. Sam is going to ask you some questions," Bob smiled and then took off for the van.

"So have you seen anyone hanging around that is out of place?" He asked.

"No but we just got home from school an hour ago," she admitted.

"Not to worry. Just sit back and we've got this covered," Weber smiled.


	13. Chapter 13

"What is going on here?" Kathy asked Maureen as the eldest child let her into the house.

"Ma'am, I'm Detective Dunphy, my partner is Detective Weber. There has been a threat against you and the children. We're just installing cameras to help cover the surveillance of the house and the street. Captain Cragen said he left you a message regarding our visit," Dunphy explained as he flashed his badge

"I didn't get any message! I want you out!" Kathy was in no mood. Her health had returned to normal but relations between her and her ex-husband were still strained.

"Ma'am, the men who put your husband in the hospital are Russian gangsters. Detective Benson has been injured as well in the course of the investigation and the Captain wants you guys safe," Weber had gotten off the ladder he was using and flashed her his badge as well.

"How do I know that you're not working with these Russians?" Kathy was still not backing down.

"Ma'am I'm afraid they shoot and ask questions later," Dunphy didn't want to get into any more details with the children around. Just then the home phone rang and Maureen rushed to answer it.

"Hello?" She asked.

"Hey sweetie, it's Dad. How's the camera install going?" Elliot wanted to know.

"Mom is freaking out," Maureen admitted.

"Put me on speaker, please," Elliot rolled his eyes, glad that his kids couldn't see him.

"Mom, its Dad," Maureen hit the speaker button and Elliot spoke up.

"Dunphy and Weber right?"

"Yes sir. We're moving along but Mrs. Stabler is concerned," Dunphy explained.

"Kathy, these men are here to help. They're from the computer division. Please let them do what they have to. I want you guys safe," Elliot said.

"We're no longer married Elliot. Why would they come after us?" Kathy wanted to know.

"The Russians are targeting Liv and me. She doesn't have any family so the next logical extension is mine. This will all be over before you know it. I promise," he hoped that would placate her for now.

"Fine but what else is being done about the situation. These Russians aren't going to be scared of the cameras," Kathy pointed out.

"No they aren't, especially since they don't know they're here. It's to help the other detectives in the van across the street cover every angle. Patrols are going to be stepped up in the neighborhood too but we don't want to be too obvious," Weber told them. Kathy frowned but finally agreed that they could continue their work. Maureen took the phone off speaker and then spoke to her dad.

"Is Olivia ok?" She asked.

"As soon as I know something, I'll let you know," Elliot smiled slightly at Maureen's concern. The fact of the matter was, he had no idea what was going on with his partner at the moment.

"Detective Tutuola!" The nurse who had taken over duets of the desk earlier called out to him and he rushed over to the desk.

"What is it?" He wanted to know, it was then had he noticed her nametag read Paula.

"It was Detective Benson who had the seizure. We need to notify her next of kin. The doctors had to rush her into surgery, they couldn't wait," she explained.

"She doesn't have next of kin. Detective Stabler is down on her emergency paperwork. What happened?" He asked.

"The doctor will be able to explain once they're out of surgery. In the meantime, why don't you follow me up to Detective Stabler's room?" The nurse suggested. Fin nodded and the two quickly headed for the elevator. It didn't take long to reach the room and Elliot was at first glad to see Fin but he immediately grew nervous by the look on his fellow detective's face.

"What's going on?" Elliot asked.

"Detective Benson was rushed into surgery. She started having a seizure in the CT machine. Unfortunately that's all I know so far," Paula explained.

"Oh God," Elliot swallowed hard.

"I'll let you know something as soon as I know something," the nurse promised before ducking out of the room.

"What did those bastards do to her?" Elliot turned to Fin; his anger was starting to boil to the surface.

"They threw her out of a car going pretty fast past the precinct. She started vomiting but otherwise she didn't seem in that bad shape," Fin admitted. He could tell Elliot was on the edge of losing it and despite their differences, Fin now understood the man a little bit better.

"Look we need to stay focused on the other problems that we can actually solve. Like the one where the Russians took pictures of you and Liv kissing outside her apartment. Morales found them and showed me. I told him to delete them but if the Russians start blabbing or we need to use the photos timestamped on either side of them, their defense attorney will have a field day. It won't matter if they don't have the actual photos, the accusation will be enough to get the case in hot water," Tutuola explained.

"The only way to get in front of it is to tell the Captain but then IAB will have to get involved. Not sure I'll survive another one of their investigations," Elliot's shoulder sagged.

"Well then we better get brainstorming. You're a bastard Stabler but baby girl deserves to be happy, so I'm doing it for her," Fin said. Elliot shook his hand.

"Understood and appreciated," he nodded.


	14. Chapter 14

Captain Cragen slouched in his chair behind his desk. It had been a long day and they hadn't gotten very far. The driver who had dumped Olivia off at the precinct was still in the wind as was the car. If the Russians were smart, they'd have dumped it into the river or set it on fire like the other car the other day.

"Captain, we've got something," Kenny Briscoe poked his head into the office. Cragen nodded and hoisted himself out of his seat. Walking out into the bullpen he was met by Munch, Tao, and Detective Jones. Given the situation, the Buffalo Police Department let her stay a little while longer to help catch their quarry, Anatoli Volkov.

"What is it?" Cragen asked.

"Melinda was able to ID the dead girl in the trunk of Volkov's car, a Seraphina Sokolov. She'd been popped a few times for prostitution," Munch explained.

"So she was working at the brothel," the Captain said.

"Yes she was. Based off of what the medical examiner found, Anatoli beat the hell out of her before bashing her brains in. Official cause of death was blunt force trauma," Detective Tao told him.

"Another victim to add to the pile. How does this help us?" Cragen wanted to know.

"Well she wasn't just another pro working at the brothel. According to all of Tao's hard work she was often seen in the company of Ivan Zhukov," Angela said as Munch pulled up a picture of the man for the Captain to see.

"So what does this Ivan have to do with it?" Cragen raised an eyebrow.

"Well at first it didn't mean anything to me until I pulled up all the pictures of Ivan we had. They are few and far between as if he was trying to seem like just another customer at the brothel. It wasn't until I noticed the same man in every photo with Ivan that I put two and two together," Tao pulled up a picture that the Captain could look at.

"This guy next to him is carrying," Don said.

"That guy is Gregor Petrovich," the Vice detective told him.

"But you said that Gregor was Boris's right hand man," the Captain reminded him.

"I think they've been hiding their power structure all along. They know that we've been keeping an eye on them so they tried to hide who was really doing what," Tao continued as Munch pulled up a tree diagram onto the computer screen.

"We know that Boris collects the money from all of the Captains which makes him Derzhatel obschaka or the bookkeeper. This puts him one step down from the Pakhan. Vlad is a Captain who happens to be Boris's younger brother. Gregor was thought to be Boris's right hand man, seeing as he seems to be running errands for Boris all the time but what if he isn't running errands for Boris? What if he's running errands for Ivan?" The detective posited.

"Ivan stays hidden for a majority of the time while Gregor acts in his stead, making it look like instead of being second in command to the boss, he's actually second to the bookkeeper," the Captain nodded.

"That would mean that Ivan trusts Gregor implicitly. I don't know about you guys but usually you don't see that kind of loyalty between groups like this. I mean will they lie to the police and keep their mouths shut? Sure. But for Ivan to assume that Gregor isn't going to stab him in the back, is ballsy," Angela gave them a look.

"True but to keep the continued security of their operations, hiding the Pakhan makes sense. They aren't in Russia where these guys can parade around and be treated like gods. They have to hide and the more confused they make us than the safer their operations will be," Tao said.

"Which if you're right, then they've been doing a damn good job," Cragen nodded.

"We could be missing something though. As Angela pointed out, Ivan trusting Gregor that much is risky but what if it isn't a risk because they have cameras? Lennie said that when they busted that Asian trafficking ring, the victim had hidden cameras all over the massage parlor," Munch pointed out.

"I remember that. Then that makes total sense. Ivan uses Gregor to run errands and then keeps an eye on everything with cameras," Kenny nodded.

"Then we need a way to Ivan," Cragen agreed. Before they could do anything though, Munch's phone rang. The Sergeant picked it up and spoke briefly to the person on the other end.

"Well it looks like Angela will be going home sooner than we thought," Munch told them.

"Why?" Angela asked.

"Because they just found Anatoli Volkov's body out in the back alley at Momma Popov's restaurant. Someone emptied an entire clip into him," he explained.

"You, Kenny, and Tao get down there. Angela, let's call your Captain," Cragen said.


	15. Chapter 15

Olivia awoke to a screaming headache. Reaching for her head, that's when she realized it was bandaged. She wondered what had happened and squinted to get a better look of the room through the pain and realized she didn't remember where she was. It looked like a hospital which seemed to be confirmed by the gown she had on.

"Ah you're awake Detective Benson," a nurse smiled at her as she walked into the room.

"My head hurts," Olivia admitted.

"Not to worry, I'll up the pain medication. Do you know where you are?" The nurse asked.

"No," Olivia resisted the urge to shake her head.

"Ok. How about what day it is?" The nurse asked another.

"Tuesday?" Once again Olivia wasn't sure and it sounded like a guess to the nurse. The truth was it was in fact Wednesday morning.

"Ok. What is the last thing you remember?" She wanted to know. Olivia closed her eyes and tried to focus but found it nearly impossible.

"My head hurts," she said again. The nurse nodded and pushed the buttons on the drip machine next to her. Soon Olivia felt drowsy and was back to sleeping. The nurse made some notes in Olivia's file and then headed to find the doctor.

Meanwhile, Captain Cragen had come to retrieve Detective Tutuola and bring Elliot up to speed. It was then that the latter informed him of the situation with his partner and Fin explained the issue in the Crime Lab.

"Someone is going to lose their badge and it's probably going to be me," the Captain shook his head.

"I did what I had to. I make no apologies," Fin said.

"So when you and Stabler here get your badges tossed in the trash with mine, you remember that. Fin, you could get bought up on charges for tampering with evidence. Elliot, you're in hot water for dating your partner and not telling anyone – not to mention the investigation. You know that I should suspend both of you but we've got bigger problems," Cragen was not in a good mood.

"How much worse could things get?" Elliot asked.

"Anatoli Volkov was shot to death and his body was dumped behind Momma Popov's restaurant. While this is a win for BPD, it makes things worse for us," the Captain explained.

"Not sure how. Now the photos don't need to be introduced as evidence," Fin said.

"You'd think that wouldn't you? Ballistics came back from the body. Volkov was killed with Olivia's service weapon," Cragen told them.

"Good God," Elliot couldn't believe it.

"How is that possible?" Fin asked.

"Well she didn't get dropped off with it and it wasn't at the crime scene so my guess is that our Russian friends used it. That isn't going to fly with IAB," the Captain said.

"Tucker?! You have got to be kidding me!" Elliot clenched his fists. He was ready to get out of the bed and get in the internal affairs investigator's face. However, before any of that could happen, there was a knock on the door and Doctor Beresford poked his head into the room.

"Captain, Detectives," he smiled slightly at them.

"Doctor, how is Detective Benson?" Cragen asked.

"Can I assume that Detective Stabler is willing to waive patient confidentiality?" Beresford questioned.

"She's a victim of a kidnapping, there is no confidentiality issue here," the Captain told him.

"Very good. Detective Benson is incredibly lucky that she arrived here when she did. During the CT scan, she had a seizure. Once we stabilized her, we did another scan, and discovered a tumor in her brain," Beresford explained.

"Lucky?" Elliot's eyes were the size of saucers.

"Yes. If she had not been brought in, things would have gotten very bad in a hurry. Her brain was swelling because of the car accident. It was pressing the tumor up against her skull. Had the tumor ruptured, there was a good chance she would not recover," he said.

"A tumor? How?" Fin shook his head, trying to wrap his brain around what he was being told.

"We're running tests on it now to determine whether it is benign or malignant. The swelling in her brain has started to go down and she woke up but her memory is still shaky and she's still in a lot of pain, which is to be expected," Beresford told them.

"Can I see her?" Elliot asked.

"She's sleeping but beyond that I'm afraid she's been moved to the prison ward," the doctor wasn't happy to relay that information.

"What?!" All three of them exploded.

"Sergeant Tucker's orders," Beresford put his hands up.

"I'll kill him," Elliot clenched his fists.


	16. Chapter 16

Cragen charged down the hall with Fin on his heels. Elliot would have been leading the pack if not for his broken leg and busted ribs. The nurses threatened to sedate him if he didn't calm down because they didn't want him worsening the fractures in his ribs. Not wanting to delay his recovery and knowing that the Captain and Fin were heading down to the prison ward to find Tucker made it a little better.

Now as the two rounded the corner, they came face to face with the IAB Sergeant, who was standing just inside the prison ward doors. The Captain was about to lay into him when he realized that Tucker was on the phone, using "Yes, sir's" and "No, sir's". A smirk crossed his face, thinking his job had been done for him. Soon Tucker was off the phone and he turned to them. Before they could say a word, he said,

"Gentlemen, into my office." He motioned to an empty room off to the right. They followed him in there and he shut the door.

"Detective Benson is not under arrest. The move was purely for her safety. We received a credible threat against her life," Tucker explained.

"Why wasn't I informed?!" The Captain nearly blew a gasket.

"After her drop off at your precinct made the local news, there was an attempt on Stabler's family. The officers at the scene dropped one guy like a sack of wet cement and another they wounded badly enough that his buddies left him behind. They gave chase but lost the car in traffic. About thirty minutes later, one of Vice's undercovers texted ten-thirteen and Vice busted into the brothel," the Sergeant told them.

"Why were we not looped in?" Cragen wanted to know.

"Sergeant Munch was informed ten minutes ago and I was about to find you when you found me. We needed a clean bust and no impropriety. One PP is breathing down our necks wanting to know why one of their SVU detectives was kidnapped and then tossed out of a moving car by the Russian Bratva," Tucker said.

"We're assuming that they wanted information but the only person who could tell us that just had a brain tumor removed!" Cragen was not staying cool.

"Exactly. Olivia is a key witness and we need her to be able to testify against Ivan Zhukov," the IAB investigator told them.

"No. The minute she testifies, she'll have to go into witness protection. Taking down the Pakhan of the Bratva will make her a target for the rest of her life!" Fin spoke up, unable to just stand there and listen anymore.

"Gentlemen! This is a hospital. Keep your voices down," Doctor Beresford poked his head in the doorway of the room, after pushing open the door.

"How is Detective Benson?" Tucker wanted to know, seemingly ignoring the man's admonishment.

"She's still sleeping which is a good thing. The swelling in her brain needs to go down and we have to test her motor skills and memory. If you're banking on her to be ready to go back to work soon, forget it," the doctor told them.

"Will her memory come back?" Fin asked out of genuine concern.

"Given that we don't know the specifics of the tumor yet or both of her parents medical history, I'm cautiously optimistic. The secondary damage from the car accident is clouding things as well. Either way, rest, gentle poking and prodding, and familiar faces are what is needed here," he said.

"Then you need to get Stabler in there with her. He's going to be the first one to break through anything," Fin told him.

"I'll see what I can do," Beresford nodded and then left. Fin then turned to the Sergeant and the Captain and asked,

"Which one of you is going to tell Stabler that his kids almost got shot at?"


	17. Chapter 17

It would be three more days before Olivia was able to wake up and stay awake. The swelling in her head went down and things were almost back to normal. Of course that did not translate into everything. Her cat-like reflexes were dulled and some things she remembered and other things she didn't.

While she struggled to work on everything that used to make her, her, the doctors worked to figure out how this happened and what had caused everything to go so wrong. The good news was that it was a benign tumor so there was no fear of cancer. In fact, if she hadn't been in the accident, they would have found it anyway when she went for her appointment with Doctor Beresford after consulting with Doctor Geberit. The fact was that she could have a family history but without knowing for sure who her father was and no access to his records, they couldn't say for sure.

Elliot was concerned that it could come back which Doctor Beresford said was possible but unlikely. They moved the detective into a bed next to his partner and he'd been helping her and trying to not seem overly concerned. The fact was that the case wasn't going well. Olivia's service weapon had yet to appear and there were plenty of suspects but right now the only one who could be tied to the murder was Olivia.

To his credit, Tucker had basically told everyone higher up than he that Olivia wasn't capable or involved. At a maximum she was responsible for not keeping her weapon on her but even that would be a stretch since the last thing she'd had control of was right before the accident. Still there was pressure to solve the case since it had been splashed all over the news.

"Ivan Zhukov is the target but we have nothing. The Vice raid shut down the brothel but the paperwork doesn't lead anywhere near him. There were cameras everywhere inside the brothel but TARU found that all the video only fed back to the closet where the servers were kept. It's possible that someone fed the feeds to a flash drive or altered the setup the minute that they sent someone to throw Olivia out of the car," Fin frowned. He was down at the precinct with the others while Elliot and Olivia were being watched at the hospital.

"We basically have squat," Munch shook his head.

"In one way that protects Olivia but in another there's a chance she'll remember Ivan and that is going to be a problem," Cragen heaved a sigh.

"More than a problem," Briscoe agreed.

"So what do we do? We can't leave baby girl to hang out to dry!" Fin was not having it.

"Ivan has been this careful so far; I see no reason why he'd put himself in danger. He'd probably send Gregor," Tao pointed out.

"You think he'll try to run?" Briscoe wondered.

"He's Pakhan. He won't run," Tao said.

"Even if it's safer in Russia?" Cragen raised an eyebrow.

"We can't nail him and he knows it," Munch frowned.

"They set a trap. Why can't we?" Fin suddenly asked.

"You mean like "give them an offer they can't refuse"?" Munch did his best Italian impression.

"Exactly," Fin smirked. The Captain was going to ask what his detectives were getting at but never got the chance as the phone rang in his office. He quickly headed in there and picked up the phone. He wasn't on it long before he came rushing back out.

"We have to get over to the hospital now!"


	18. Chapter 18

While the squad had been talking at the precinct, a doctor had walked into the room where Olivia and Elliot were recovering. They both focused their attention on him especially when he did not answer Elliot's casual "Hi Doc". That's when they both noticed the syringe in his hand.

"Ten thirteen! Ten thirteen!" Olivia shouted before trying to reach for the man posing as a medical professional. Her IV was out of reach and there wasn't much she could do. Her head still throbbed and trying to strike at an assailant was next to impossible. Then a familiar noise sounded – the cocking of a service weapon.

"Drop it or I blow your brains out," Elliot growled at the man. He saw the gun and was completely surprised. This was a hospital after all and he expected the detectives to be unarmed. That's when the officers outside the door busted in, weapons drawn.

"Drop the needle!" Officer Smith ordered.

"Do it!" Officer Carlson shouted. The man was trapped and he knew it. Before anyone could stop him, he jabbed the needle into his leg and pushed down the plunger.

"Dasvidania," there was a smirk on his face before he collapsed. The officers shouted for a real doctor and a team got to working on the man. After a few minutes, they gave up and called it.

"Fast acting poison probably cyanide or arsenic," Doctor Rae shook his head while the nurses checked over both of their patients.

"Run all the tests you can please. We need to know what we are dealing with," Elliot said as the only high ranking officer there.

"You've got it. I have to hand it to him. This guy was smart. That badge looks legit," Rae told them while one of the officers was busy calling for backup and CSU.

"Are you missing a doctor?" Olivia wondered.

"I'll have HR start making phone calls," Rae said before heading out of the room, not want to contaminate the crime scene any more than he already had.

"Backup and CSU are en route. I'm sorry. I can't believe we let this happen," Officer Smith shook his head.

"He looked like a doctor. According to Doctor Rae, his badge looks legit. There could be a missing doctor out there. You can't run a background check on every person in a doctor's lab coat," Olivia told him. She was being especially forgiving considering it could have been her that was dead. Elliot was ready to rip them a new one when Tucker busted through the door.

"What the hell happened here?" He demanded. The two officers looked sheepishly at the Sergeant.

"You two outside, now. I'll deal with these two in a minute," Tucker frowned before following the two officers out. Elliot looked over at Olivia who was looking very tired. He reached out for her hand and she took his and gave it a squeeze.

"Are you feeling all right?" Concern evident in his voice.

"Just tired. That's the most I've done in a while," she gave him a slight smile. They had barely any time to themselves when the nurses came into the room with wheelchairs.

"We have to get you into another room. Sergeant Tucker says this room is officially a crime scene," Nurse Betty smiled slightly, trying to ignore the dead guy on the floor. Two nurses helped Olivia out of bed and disconnected her IV which was now evidence. They moved her into the first wheelchair while two others helped Elliot. The two were then moved down the hall to a separate room and the nurses got busy reconnecting tubes and repositioning Elliot's leg into traction. The two were then left alone but only for a few minutes when Captain Cragen and Sergeant Munch busted into the room.

"Are you guys ok?" Cragen asked.

"Better than the guy who tried to kill Liv," Elliot said.

"We're on it. Don't worry," Munch reassured them before heading out to join Fin.

"Cap, we need to talk. They knew Liv was in the prison ward. The guy had poison in a needle. We're running out of ways to protect her," Stabler pointed out.

"I may have had a brain tumor removed but I can still hear you," Olivia reminded them.

"Doesn't mean Elliot is wrong. We have something that we think will do the trick," Cragen smirked.


	19. Chapter 19

Captain Cragen stood in front of the podium down at One PP in the large room where the Commissioner usually made his speeches. The media flashed their cameras and the lights stung his eyes. He swallowed hard and then cleared his throat.

"Good evening. This evening at approximately eight pm, Detective Olivia Benson succumbed to her injuries. Since joining the NYPD in nineteen ninety two, she has been a shining example of what it means to be a cop. Funeral arrangements are currently being made and more announcements will be forthcoming.

We are currently looking for any information regarding the people who kidnapped her and then later threw her out of a moving car. Please call the number on your screen. Anything, no matter how small, could help us find these people who killed a great cop and human being. Thank you," the press jumped all over it. They tried to ask him questions but he brushed past them. He made it to the elevator and heaved a sigh.

"Well that was easy," Commissioner Hughes chuckled.

"Thank you sir for letting us do this," Captain Cragen smiled slightly.

"Don, how long have we known each other? You have some of the best detectives in the department and you're trying to bag the Russian Mob. I will do whatever it takes to help. If this works, it'll be quite the coup and of course, it should lead to commendations," Hughes winked as the elevator doors opened. The two walked out to the waiting car and the Commissioner saw his friend off.  _Good luck_ , Hughes thought.

"We're here," Melinda said as she pulled the coroner's van up to the hospital's backdoor.

"Thank God. I'm not sure I could take any more potholes," Elliot held his side. Both he and Olivia had to be strapped to gurneys for the drive and it was not comfortable but it was necessary.

"Sorry about that. I was trying to stay off the main roads. The less people know the better right?" The medical examiner said before unbuckling.

"Stay put and I'll go get the nurses to help out," Melinda continued.

"I'm ready to start dancing," Elliot replied sarcastically.

"All right, smart ass," the doctor shook her head.

"Easy boy. She's helping remember?" It was the first words that Olivia had spoken for the whole trip. Melinda had an old Air Force buddy up in Connecticut at Yale-New Haven Hospital and they had made the hour and a half trip in the back of the coroner's van. The guys down at the NYPD motor pool covered up the insignias and to anyone looking at it just looked like a black van driving along the road. No NYPD back up as they made their way to the Level I Trauma center. Melinda had been given a gun which was not traceable back to the NYPD and Elliot still had his backup piece. They weren't expecting trouble but they wanted to be prepared. The only people outside of those in the van that knew what was going on were Fin, Munch, Cragen, and Commissioner Hughes.

"Yeah, I know," he said. Quiet fell between them again for a few minutes and then they heard a knock on the door.

"Come in?" Elliot raised an eyebrow.

"Just didn't want to scare you," Melinda said as she opened the door. Outside were nurses and aides with gurneys of their own and they worked on helping their new patients out of the van. Once they were inside they were moved to a room on an upper floor, out of the path of the majority of the staff.

"Thanks for helping out Tommy," Melinda said as her friend came into the room.

"Not a problem, Melinda. Glad you called. You have time to catch up?" He asked.

"I do. They aren't expecting me back until Wednesday. I'm taking a long weekend," she winked.

"Sounds good. I think our new patients could use a break. If anyone asks, you're Elizabeth and Stephen Goodwin and you had a nasty car accident out on Wilbur Cross Parkway. You were transferred from Griffin Hospital out in Derby," Doctor Tom Pace told them.

"Got it," Elliot nodded.

"Do the best I can," Olivia smiled slightly.

"That's all we can ask. Hopefully this will all be over soon," Pace smiled before directing Melinda out of the room and down to the hospital cafeteria. The room was quiet for a few minutes before Olivia spoke up,

"I'm scared." Luckily, the beds were close together and Elliot took her hand.

"We'll get through this just like we always do," he said, trying to reassure her.

"My memory isn't coming back. I'm not remembering what I should," she said.

"Liv, it hasn't even been a week since you woke up. It'll come back," he told her.

"What if it doesn't? What if I can't be this cop everyone keeps telling me I am? What am I supposed to do? I hate this," so used to being a strong woman and now she had a hard time dealing with having to rely on other people so much.

"I hate it too. I want you back but I waited a long time and this little hiccup is nothing we can't handle," Elliot said.

"I'm glad you're here. Do your kids know?" She asked. Some of her personality was coming back as she was back to deflecting.

"They're still under the watchful eyes of the local precinct. They think that I'm still at the hospital back home but that they have to stay away for their own safety," he smiled slightly.

"Do they believe the Captain's story?" Olivia wanted to know.

"I think he's trying not to have them hear it. They're thinking that Ivan will make a move soon, before they actually have to schedule a funeral," Elliot said.

"I hope so. I just want out of the hospital," she sighed.

"Soon, I promise," he lifted up her hand and gave it a squeeze, wishing he could kiss her.


	20. Chapter 20

Three days would pass and a funeral had been set up for the next day. Cragen, Fin, and Munch had been trying to hold it together but it was hard. Detective Tao had not been brought into the loop but he promised that he would stop at nothing to catch the guys who killed Olivia. He had been instrumental in getting them access to everything they needed and the Captain knew that the Detective should be rewarded for his efforts once this was all over.

"Any movement?" Munch asked as he entered the van with Fin. Tao was heading up surveillance at Momma Popov's, hoping that something would show up. Olivia had been unable to give them the location of the restaurant she'd been held in after the warehouse and so they had teams scoping out all of the properties that had been on the lists Vice had acquired.

"Nothing but Momma Popov knows we're here. She came out of the front door, looked around, and then shook her head," Tao heaved a sigh.

"What was she ex-KGB?" Munch gave him a look.

"I have no idea but why else would she do what she did?" Tao asked. Fin suddenly got a phone call and he answered it, leaving the other two detectives to watch the restaurant.

"Van eight three seven this is car two seven, come in," the radio crackled to life.

"Van eight three seven," Tao answered.

"Gregor just left Little Moscow. He's heading for a black sedan, plate number, Echo Charlie Bravo one nine three seven," car two seven responded.

"Running the plates. Follow with caution once he leaves," Tao responded.

"That was Angela," Fin said.

"How's Manny?" Munch asked.

"Heading for rehab. He's going to have to retire. There's no way they can fix his spinal cord," Fin frowned.

"Damn," Munch clenched his fist. He was about to say something when Tao's radio crackled back to life.

"Man approaching car. He looks like Ivan Zhukov."

"All right, this could be it. Car three five, assist two seven in pursuit. Do  _NOT_  tip them off," Tao said.

"Ten-four," car two seven responded.

"What do you think Ivan will give us? I mean you really think he's going to pitch Liv's service weapon out the window or anything like that?" Fin wanted to know.

"He's not that stupid. We don't have to get him on Olivia's murder just yet. All we need to do is catch him doing something illegal that will cause his arrest, and then we search everything. It's how they got Al Capone," Tao smirked.

"Well we just nabbed Ivan. The plates come back to a red Ford Taurus that was reported stolen a few days ago," Munch announced. Tao grabbed the radio and called to the unmarked cars following Gregor.

"Van eight three seven to cars two seven and three five. Stolen plates on the car. Arrest them," Tao ordered.

"I'd say we can pack it up boys," the Asian detective said as he turned to them.

"You go wrangle them in. I want to talk to Momma Popov," Munch suddenly had a hunch.

"You guys don't want the collar?" Tao was confused.

"Everything has to be on the up and up. Can't have any mistakes," Fin said.

"No, we can't. I'll handle it," Tao nodded before the two detectives jumped out of the van and headed for the restaurant. Once inside, the hostess smiled, as Munch said,

"Nam nuzhno uvidet' missis Popov."  _(We need to see Mrs. Popov)._

"Da. She's been expecting you," the hostess continued to smile and led them to the back room. There sat the imposing Mrs. Popov, a smirk on her face.

"You arrest that bastard Ivan yet?" She asked.

"They're working on it," Munch raised an eyebrow since they hadn't even flashed their badges yet.

"Detective Tao is a good man and those Detectives Stabler and Benson, seem like good people. I am sorry to hear about Detective Benson," Popov's smirk faded as she reached into her desk drawer.

"What is that?" Fin asked as she produced a tape.

"Surveillance of the alley. They think I put up with this in America, they are wrong. We aren't in Mother Russia anymore," the older women said.

"Why didn't you turn this over when they found Volkov?" Munch asked, taking the tape and hiding it inside his coat.

"Not sure who to trust; especially given who was dumping the body. Volkov was a pig and deserved what he got. If you are really to take Ivan down, then you need this and you need to know his headquarters are inside the upper floor of Little Moscow restaurant," Popov told them.

"Not sure who to trust huh?" Fin raised an eyebrow.

"No one has come close to nailing those Bratva bastards since I set up shop. I have seen Pakhans come and go but the NYPD has failed to do anything. The Bratva then take it out on the neighborhood. I'm done paying protection dues. Back home the Bratva started as a way to help their fellow citizens but greed consumed them and now they just want money and blood," Popov spat.

"Thank you Mrs. Popov. Dasvidania," Munch smiled and they walked out.


	21. Chapter 21

"Ladies and Gentlemen, I am proud to announce the arrests of Ivan Zhukov and Gregor Petrovich, two high ranking members of the Russian Mob. They were apprehended driving a car with stolen plates and since their arrest we have raided their offices, which has led to the arrests of almost all of the organization. The evidence seized has been turned over to the FBI, who will be handling the court cases. For more on that, I now turn it over to District Attorney Jack McCoy," Commissioner Hughes said as he stepped away from the podium inside One PP. Three days had passed since the initial arrest and the NYPD needed time to seize the items in the offices of Ivan and Gregor.

"As much as I want to try this case in New York County, for the abuse of Manhattan detectives, there are much larger implications here. The evidence seized at the Little Moscow restaurant points to a multi-state drug operation. The FBI has agreed to pursue all charges and have agreed to include the offenses against the NYPD detectives involved in the investigation. I'd like to open the floor to questions," Jack said. Hands shot up all over the place and Jack picked a reporter he was familiar with.

"The funeral for Detective Benson has not been held yet. Can we assume that she isn't having a public funeral?" The man in his forties asked. Jack looked at the Commissioner.

"Detective Benson's death was a temporary one. She is in fact alive and recovering from her injuries," Hughes said.

"How is that possible? Captain Cragen stood right where you are and told us she was dead!" Another reporter shouted.

"A ruse that I told him to perpetuate. An attempt had been made on Detective Benson's life while she was in the hospital recovering and we saw her alleged death the only way to bring our targets out of hiding," Hughes explained.

"Is that standard procedure? Can the defendants use that to their advantage?" Another reporter called out.

"No. There was no way her alleged death can be used to their advantage. They were caught driving a car with stolen plates. The evidence in the drug charges was found while in pursuit of finding the car and any other evidence that would have told us what happened to the car. Unfortunately for the owner, we found the car, in the Hudson River, and inside of it was Detective Benson's service weapon, which had been stolen off of her after she was kidnapped. We handed the FBI an airtight case," Hughes replied. At that point, Jack McCoy stepped in and ended the press conference.

"Better hope the FBI nails those bastards," Jack said, given how much information the Commissioner had just handed out. All of it would become public record over the course of the trial so it wasn't like they needed to keep it secret; it was just that they usually didn't talk about a case like that with the media. Of course this had been a different kind of case.

"I got a call from the FBI this morning. Most of the underlings are trying to make deals as fast as they can. They would rather stay here than get sent back to Russia," Hughes chuckled.

"Because in Russia, there are no witnesses," Jack smirked, referring the sense of justice that usually followed in the defendants' home country. They exited the room and headed for the elevators.

"Well there goes my chance at quiet living," Olivia said, looking over at Elliot. They were still in the Connecticut hospital. Doctor Tom Pace shook his head and said,

"There wasn't much chance of that, I would imagine, at least from what Melinda told me. The good news is that you should be able to return to your job. Though I would imagine you two will be on desk duty for a bit until all the hubbub dies down."

"I've got at least a few weeks left in my cast, and then they won't be able to keep me at my desk. I'm already going stir crazy," Elliot said.

"I'll probably have to go back to the academy," Olivia rolled her eyes. She was definitely becoming more herself as each day passed.

"Do they do that?" Doctor Pace asked.

"I hope not," Elliot shook his head.

"Well well well, look who is laying down on the job, Fin," Munch said as the two detectives entered the room.

"They'll do anything to take a vacation," Fin agreed.

"Oh you guys are a laugh riot," Olivia rolled her eyes.

"We try. The Captain sent us up here to retrieve Olivia. He said to leave Elliot here," Munch continued. Olivia couldn't help but laugh at that.

"Yeah he said that Briscoe needs a partner," Fin chimed in.

"Well not that we didn't like having them here, but you can take them both, if you'd like. Medically, I can't keep either of them here anymore. I did put a call into Doctor Beresford and he wants to see Detective Benson when you get back to the city," Doctor Pace said.

"Can do Doc. Is there paperwork we need to sign or something?" Fin asked.

"If you'll follow me, I'll have you sign everything we need and I'll get the nurses to get some wheelchairs. Detective Stabler could probably leave his ankle down for the trip home but I would suggest getting it propped up once he's all settled in his apartment," Pace explained as they walked out of the door.

"Momma Popov came through for us. She had security cameras in the alley," Munch said.

"She did? Why would she do that?" Elliot asked.

"Apparently, she paranoid or ex-KGB or both. Anyway, the tape showed Gregor dumping Anatoli's body in the alley. Then it panned to a different view and it showed that there was someone else inside the car, waiting for Gregor. TARU is trying to clean it up but they aren't holding their breaths," the elder detective explained.

"You think it was Ivan?" Olivia asked.

"That same car was ditched with your service weapon in it so my guess is Ivan," Munch told them.

"Wow. Momma Popov to the rescue," Elliot couldn't believe it.

"She sends her best by the way," Munch chuckled. That's when Fin and the nurses walked into the room.

"Who's ready to go home?" He asked.


	22. Chapter 22

Olivia walked into the sixteenth precinct and heaved a sigh when she reached the bullpen. Her colleagues were all busy at their desks including Elliot. It was good to be back and to see that not much had changed.

"Well don't just stand there Benson!" Cragen called from his office doorway. He was leaning against the door frame smiling.

"Cap," she smiled back at him as the guys turned around to see what was going on.

"Do you have it?" Munch asked. She reached into her jacket pocket and pulled out her badge.

"I've been reinstated!" A broad smile crossed her face before she clipped it onto her belt.

"All right!" Elliot jumped up out of his seat, his cast now gone, and gave her a hug.

"We knew you could do it so we kind of…" Fin started and then jerked his head toward the left side of the room where Kenny stood with a sheet cake that said "Welcome Back!" on it. He moved over to her empty desk and set it down before lighting the candles.

"Make a wish Liv," he smiled. She chuckled slightly and blew out the candles. Cheers went up and someone found plates and something to cut and serve the cake with.

"So glad to have you back. Are you stuck on a desk or can you do field work?" Fin asked after giving her a hug. They all stood around enjoying their cake and wanted to know more.

"Limited field work for the time being. The Chief of D's said that I can go out in the field but no raids or anything like that. Doctor Beresford wants to keep checking on me for the next few months," she explained.

"It's been two months since you got back to the city. What are they concerned about?" Munch wanted to know as he got in his hug.

"Well since they don't have access to all my family's medical records, they want to make sure that this was just a fluke and not a hereditary condition," Olivia smiled slightly.

"Better to play it safe. We like you in one piece," Elliot said, smiling slightly. The two had grown closer, if that had been possible, during their recovery. He'd been able to return to active duty a lot quicker than she had but that hadn't affected them because the Captain allowed Elliot to check up on her when he felt he needed to.

"It's just great to have you back. We missed you," Kenny said as he gave her a hug.

"For some crazy reason, I missed you guys too," she joked.

"You know you'd never be able to stay away," Munch teased. Elliot's phone rang and that signaled the end of the brief moment they had to share. Cragen pointed to his office and Olivia followed him. He shut the door and then gave her a quick hug.

"Glad to have you back. Now there are some things we need to discuss," he said.

"What's up Captain?" Olivia asked.

"Well first off, Fin and Morales agreed to keep their mouths shut regarding you and Elliot. I'm going to let it slide but if it becomes a problem, I will do what I have to in order to keep this unit working smoothly. I know that you just got back and things are going to be slow moving for a little bit but I trust you two and I don't want to lose either of you. Elliot knows my position, so I think we have everything covered. I told him this morning before you got here," Cragen explained.

"Ok. I completely understand," Olivia nodded.

"Good. You are to report any health items to me immediately. The Department doesn't want you to get hurt or get any of the others in the squad hurt, if you're not feeling well. This isn't some cold you're getting over and truth be told, if you're little incident with the car hadn't been splashed all over the news, they probably would have had you retire early," he said.

"The Commissioner warned me that I was on thin ice. There is no precedent for this and they're trying hard not to make the wrong decision," she told him.

"The Commissioner wouldn't have bent over backwards but you and Elliot have a very high closure rate. That and this unit is notoriously hard to find bodies for, as you know.

"Now as for the Russians, they have been scattered to federal facilities all over the country. The Feds don't think that you're in any danger because you didn't have any direct part in their demise. Still I'm not comfortable about the whole thing," Cragen admitted.

"I think if they were going to try something they would have done it by now. They would have wanted to try and get to me while I was still at home convalescing. Doesn't mean I won't keep an eye out, though," she told him.

"As you should. I'm sure that Elliot has some ideas on that too. That's all for now. Better have your partner bring you up to speed on the case," he said.

"Will do. Thanks Captain," Olivia smiled at him and he smiled back. She opened his office door and headed back for her desk. The cake was still there and Kenny offered everyone another piece before moving it to the breakroom.

"All right so we're on the trail of another dirt bag?" Olivia asked.

"Standard procedure," Elliot winked before he brought her up to speed. Once she was looped, the team split up to see if they couldn't track down some of the leads they had.

Later that night, Olivia opened her front door and slid inside. It was quiet and empty which felt weird considering that basically Elliot had lived with her up until a week or so ago. That last week before she was cleared to join the unit was full of appointments and running around to get ready to come back so the thought of the apartment being empty hadn't crossed her mind. She shifted back to reality as there was a knock on the door.

"Chinese food," Elliot smiled; the takeout bag in his hand.

"Yum," Olivia smiled back and helped him inside. They made their way over to the kitchen table and she retrieved plates and silverware from the cupboards, just in case. They tucked into their food, falling into a comfortable silence.

"What's our next step?" Elliot suddenly asked.

"Well we tried the perp's mom's place and his girlfriend's. They either lie really well or they have no clue where he went and he basically got fired when he stopped showing up to work. I have no idea where else this guy could be hiding," she told him.

"Not the case," he chuckled before continuing, "Us. What's our next step?"

"Oh. Well I think we've got a good thing going. No reason to make it more complicated just yet. Especially since we would be putting the Captain in an awkward position," she said.

"We've been together for eight months and we just spent Christmas together. I'd say we're past the point of complicated," he smirked.

"Well true but we can't exactly move in together. They'll split us up for sure at work and I don't want anyone else covering my ass," Olivia was being honest.

"It is a nice ass," Elliot chuckled.

"That may be true but I like it in the seat at my desk until I can't do the job anymore. Unless of course it has somewhere else it needs to be," she said.

"I like that idea but eventually things will have to change. I mean how else are we going to get married?" The words just slipped out of his mouth without him even thinking about it.

"El…" she just looked at him, not sure what to say. At this point in her life, she just figured that marriage was out of the question.

"What? I've been in love with you for so long. I can't see not spending the rest of my life with you and at some point, I want the rest of the world to know that," he explained. He expected her to balk. No one had ever really loved her in the way she deserved and she floated in and out of relationships because her emotions were a large tangled mess. He could see through all of it and he understood her and what made her tick. She was wonderful, even if she didn't realize it.

His thoughts were interrupted by her lips on his. Without thought, he deepened the kiss and they quickly became involved in a battle to remain in their seats, desperately wanting to be closer to one another. Finally when the need for air was more than apparent, they pulled apart.

"I think I have my answer," he smirked for which she swatted him on the arm.

"The only answer I need to know is bed or couch?" She waggled her eyebrows before standing. Elliot quickly stood up and scooped her up off the floor. Moving past the couch, he opted for the bedroom, where they would not come out of until Olivia's alarm rang the next morning.

**THE END**


End file.
